Bride And Prejudice stars: "Our 9-year battle"

The reality star shares his family's toughest moments.
- by
Grace Back

19 Nov
2018

His mother Fatima’s extreme disapproval of his fiancée Jessica Jones has shocked Bride & Prejudice viewers, and now Seyat Abazovski reveals how another family trauma has affected him deeply.

“The toughest thing in my life I would say would be seeing my brother go from being a normal kid to having schizophrenia,” Seyat says.

“He used to be a normal kid and now he doesn’t have a normal life.”

Seyat’s older brother was first diagnosed with the mental illness – which can cause sufferers to experience episodes of psychosis involving delusions and hallucinations – when he was just 13 years old. “Slowly he started to get sick,” the 19-year-old shares.

Now 22, Seyat’s brother’s condition is treated with medication. “He just chills at home and does nothing,” explains the reality star.

Seyat’s partner Jess – who was offered $10,000 by Seyat’s mother Fatima to leave her son, and branded as “dirty” and accused of “dressing like a prostitute” by her future mother-in-law – has met Seyat’s brother and gets on well with him.

She explains he’s nothing like the often scary stereotypes of schizophrenia sufferers.

Seven

“I was never frightened. I think he’s the most genuine person and I just think he’s really sweet,” says Jess, 21.

“I always tried to make an effort to have a conversation with him.”

Despite the way she’s been treated by Fatima – who insists she will never accept Jess marrying Seyat and has even said there’s “nothing good” about her son’s choice of future wife – Jess has sympathy for what the family have been through. She also explains how important it is to normalise mental health issues.

“I thought it was really sad and I felt sorry for Seyat and his mum and his family, but I didn’t treat anybody any differently because of that,” she explains.

“You don’t want to make someone feel worse about something they can’t control.”

Grace BackGrace is the Digital Content Editor at New Idea. Grace is a lifestyle junkie who has previously interned at Dolly, Stellar and marie claire, as well having written in the fashion and beauty sections at Finder.com.au. When not working, you can find Grace heading for the slopes, playing with her pup or stuck in a seemingly endless Instagram scroll.